Announcement_Cone Snail Documentary on ARTE

A sailing boat is setting course for the Chesterfield Island. On board a research group on the quest for a marine predator. But we are not talking about a shark or a dangerous jellyfish – no: The goal of the mission is the cone snail Conus Consors. This seemingly harmless animal which lives in a beautiful shell is one of the most venomous organism in the world. And exactly this venom is of interest to science. Toxins are an important part of drug research. For ages scientists are interested in these compounds. Nowadays it is possible to analyse their structure and effect and to find new approaches for disease-related research. 1975 the drug Captorpil was developed, derived from the toxin of a Brazilian snake. At the beginning of this century, Prialt was added to the list: a medication that was madefrom the toxin of a cone snail and which is used for the treatment of chronic pain.

One of the biggest research projects undertaken in this field is CONCO. Financed by the European Commission, 21 research groups from all over Europe and the United States worked on the investigation of Conus Consors. But cone snails are not only a research topic in Europe. They have as well attracted the interest of researchers in the Philippines and in Australia.

EUrelations AG has actively participated in the realisation of the documentary "Poison or medicine? Toxins as drugs“ and is very proud to announce its broadcasting. Come and join us on an exciting trip through cone snail research and be intrigued by this fascinating animal. ARTE broadcasts the film on the following dates:

Thursday, 21.11 at 11:10 pm

Wednesday, 27.11 at 08:55 am

Saturday, 30.11 at 10:05 am

Sunday, 08.12 at 09:55 am

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